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Termites - what is it? Where do termites live and what do they eat?

The "heroes" of our narrative are termites. What it is? What is their habitat? What do they eat?

Termites are ants?

These insects, outwardly similar to ants, but not so, in the general human sense, are considered a terrible calamity. From the actions of the so-called "white ants", who have an actual relationship with cockroaches, powerful trees break down from one tremor, wooden structures are destroyed ... And besides, they are a real threat to human health. The questions about which termite live in the natural zone, what it is, what their mode of existence, and the features of their habitat, are the subject of research by entomologists. All these topics are described in many documentary films and are covered in scientific programs. Such insects are poisoned with the most effective poisons, special services are formed to fight them, but the measures taken do not in any way diminish the harm they cause.

In what natural zone do termites live?

Where do termites live? The number of their species on the planet is close to three thousand, the main part of which lives in the subtropical and tropical zones. There are only two species on the territory of Russia, and they can be found in the area of Vladivostok and Sochi.

These insects live in huge multimillion groups called colonies; In each of them there is a clear division into castes: working individuals (majority), soldiers, the queen and the king. The color of the bodies of adult termites varies from whitish-yellow to black.

Description of the working caste

How do termites look like? Workers can be easily identified by the round head and small size: on average, the length of their trunk - light and soft (due to permanent residence in water-saturated shelters) - does not exceed 1 centimeter. African termites, often creeping out to the surface, are distinguished by a dark brown body. Underground way of life negatively reflected on the organs of sight of the working individuals: they are blind or see very little.

If the ants work only females, then among the working termites there are representatives of both sexes. Their purpose is to dig tunnels, construct a termite mantle, repair it, obtain and save food, care for the offspring. Also, working termites feed soldiers who are not able to eat independently because of the specific structure of the head capsule.

Termite Soldiers

Soldiers are the next caste, also working, but performing several other functions and having as a result of this another structure. Termite soldiers, whose description is somewhat different from the working caste, protect the colony from external enemies and are armed with powerful long jaws (jaws). Some tropical species of termite soldiers additionally have a small procession on their heads through which a special adhesive substance is injected into the opponent, drying up in contact with the air and restricting its movement. The soldiers have a large head capsule (reddish-brown, black, light-yellow or orange) performing the role of a peculiar cork in the blockade of narrow tunnels, there are no wings, and they are blind. The smallest termites (these species live in South America) reach only 2.5 mm in size; The largest are the insects of Mexico and Arizona - 22 mm in length. If there is a partial destruction of the termite quarry, the hordes of soldiers who are trying to contain the enemy's offensive serve until the working termites repair their home. In this case, the soldiers are trapped themselves and no longer have the opportunity to get out of it.

King and queen

The "head" of sexually mature individuals is the oviparous female (queen) and the king is the male, fertilizing it and the other reproductive insects. Compared with other termites, the queen is simply huge and capable of reaching 10 centimeters in length. The body of the female during the reproduction of the offspring increases several hundred times, because of which it is unable to move and feed independently, and this becomes the concern of the workers who carry and feed it.

The queen dwells in a special department, in the very center of the termite, along with her king, who is near her throughout her life. In size, it slightly exceeds the termite soldier and has the exclusive right to mate with the female. After fertilization, male, unlike fellow ant, does not die.

The female queen is very prolific and able to postpone up to 3000 eggs per day. The record holder of the masonry is the Indo-Malay variety, which gives out an egg a second; In the digital equivalent - more than 80 000 times a day. All this time, a special pheromone-containing substance is released on the belly of the female, which is eaten with pleasure by working termites. The life span of the queen is about fifteen years, and all these years the male and female keep loyalty to each other. During the existence of the couple, several million young offspring appear on the light.

Peculiarities of behavior of young animals

The young generation lives in the terminology of "parents" until a certain time and leaves the "father's house" during the swarming period (the end of spring - the beginning of summer), beginning to mate. At this time they become extremely vulnerable, because after fertilization the male and female cut off their wings. Many of the young termites are easy prey for spiders, millipedes, insectivorous birds. Surviving lucky beggars begin to create a nest. The terminator is not all left: several pairs remain in the event of a possible death of the female, which is rare enough.

The terminator is a complex structure

As it is already clear from the name itself, termitenik is a "house" in which termites live. What is it, what features are inherent in such a structure and what are the rules for the existence of a "population" in it? After the birth of a sufficient number of workers, the latter begin to build a new reliable shelter for the future colony, whose location is determined by the young couple. It's amazing, but insects the size of an ant have an incredible ability to build huge "locks" with entangled labyrinths of internal passages, towering over the soil surface by more than 8 meters. A record-breaking huge termite, whose height was 12.8 meters above the surface of the earth, was recorded in Zaire. In the shadow of such structures - the most complex of structures, not built by man, - buffaloes, elephants and other large animals hide from the scorching sun. In their form, termitaries are diverse: some resemble cathedrals, others are oriented horizontally from north to south, for which they are called "magnetic". This arrangement contributes to the minimum penetration into the solar radiation and the formation of a constant microclimate: humidity and temperature.

Structure of the termite

The termite consists of a ground part (which is a large elevation) and an underground part, consisting of a network of numerous entangled tunnels and rooms. The material for construction is the composition of the excrement of termites, their saliva, crushed wood, dry grass and clay. The structures built from such a mixture are characterized by high strength and water resistance of the walls. The color of the termite often corresponds to the color of the soil and does not strike the predators, merging with the environment. In the ground part of the structure, chambers with larvae, eggs, "mushroom gardens" and a huge mesh of ventilation tunnels are most often located. There you can also see small farms with thermophiles - animals that emit special substances that are pleasantly lapped by termites. Thus, a symbiosis takes place between them, in which the second side is thermophiles (a bright example is the fly of the termotoxenia) - receives a rich source of food and a favorable microclimate.

Location of termites

In tropical conditions (high humidity and constant rains) termitek often located high on trees; And, built in the branches of the nest is attached so firmly that it withstands the most terrible hurricanes. To get to the hard-to-find termite dwelling, you have to cut the branches. Some representatives of the infra-detachment live in trunks of trees, which are fused with the courses extending to the very roots. In arid regions (for example, in Central Asia), termites are located deep underground, and there are no signs on the surface that indicate their presence in this place.

What do termites feed on?

The food for termites is mainly of vegetable origin, for example, dry wood, which is digested due to flagellates - the simplest organisms that live in the intestine. By the way, about 200 species of protozoa live in the stomach and intestine of the termite, the total mass of which sometimes makes up 1/3 of the weight of the insect. They process inedible sugars into inedible wood.

Only the working individuals themselves are able to feed themselves, and the rest of the caste's layers depend on them. Soldiers, because of excessive development, also chewed up the inadequate development of other parts of the mouth, unable to chew their food on their own, and therefore they are fed by nutrient-rich excrement workers or secretions from the mouth, which are also consumed by the king and queen. Termite larvae eat up salivary discharge of adults and spores of moldy mushrooms. Various remains in the soil - rotting wood, manure, leaves, animal skin - are eaten by workers, but food is not immediately digested, and excrement of humus-eating individuals then consumes another termite worker or soldier. Thus, the same food repeatedly passes through a number of intestines until it is fully digested. The Australian aborigines, by the way, are the only ones who have a wind musical instrument "didgeridoo", made of eucalyptus branches, the core of which is eaten by termites.

The role of termites in nature

And why do we need termites? What is this and what role do they play in the external environment? In nature, such insects perform the function of processing residues of plant origin; They also form and mix upper soil layers with their help. It is assumed that the methane released by these insects in the course of their activity participates in the general action of greenhouse gases. Termites for their total biomass are comparable to the entire biomass of terrestrial vertebrates.

Termites against man

With a man, unfortunately, the friendship of termites does not add up. In the tropics this is a dangerous pest that destroys wooden structures: they bite furniture, floors, books. For example, in South-East Asia, because of termites, it is sometimes necessary to transfer cities and towns to another location. Their aggressive attacks lead to the collapse of houses. Along with earthworms and ants, termites play a significant role in the circulation of soil matter; Winged individuals serve as food for a large number of predators.

It is quite difficult to determine the presence of such insects. Home termites operate inside, leaving an intact outer shell. They do not even shun money: in 2008, a certain businessman discovered the rubbish from securities and money in his bank cell.

Surprisingly, termites are among the most popular insects in cooking because of their high protein content. In the Amazon basin, the Indians cook barbecue, roast them in their own juice, or pound them for cooking seasoning. In Nigeria, even termite bouillon cubes are sold.

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